Commission probing Rabbani`s killing to visit Pak

Islamabad: Members of an Afghan Commission
probing the assassination of the chief the country`s peace
negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani will visit Islamabad within a
"few days" to seek Pakistan`s help in investigations.

Afghan government officials, including the interior
minister, have blamed Pakistan`s ISI of plotting the killing
of Rabbani, the head of the Afghan High Peace Council, which
was tasked to make peace with the Taliban.

Rabbani was killed by a turban bomber at his residence in
Kabul on September 20. The Taliban had soon claimed
responsibility for the killing, only to disown it a day later.

"There were some technical problems which have been
addressed. And now a team of the Afghan inquiry commission
will reach Islamabad within a few days," Afghan Ambassador
Omar Daudzai was quoted as saying to `The Express Tribune`
daily in an interview.

Daudzai however did not specify the "technical problems."
Headed by Defence Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak, the
Afghan inquiry commission includes the interior minister,
heads of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and
National Security Council and the country`s attorney-general.

NDS spokesperson Lutfullah Mashal had earlier said that
they had handed Pakistan`s embassy in Kabul "evidence"
indicating that Pakistan-based Quetta Shura was behind
Rabbani`s killing.

Afghan officials, then, claimed that the Pakistani mission
had refused to cooperate with them, the daily said.

It added that Islamabad said that the so-called "evidence"
was based on a confessional statement of a man in Afghan
custody whom they call the "mastermind."

Ambassador Daudzai admitted that there was some
"misunderstanding" between the Afghan officials and Pakistan`s
embassy, which has been removed.

"Pakistani officials have personally assured me that they
will extend every possible help in investigating Rabbani`s
killing," he added.

"They have also agreed to discuss all aspects of the
incident with the Afghan inquiry commission."

The daily said Ambassador Daudzai quashed the impression
that relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have broken
down following the killing of Rabbani.

Interestingly, Pakistan has conveyed to the Afghan
ambassador, though not officially, its concerns over the
Indo-Afghan strategic partnership agreement which was signed
during President Karzai`s recent trip to India, the daily
quoted its sources as saying.